Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Puptown Gets A Reboot, Invites You To Be Part of It (Starting Tonight!)

In case you haven't noticed, Puptown at Lawrence and Marine has been experienced a revitalization. A new advisory committee has begun their terms, and they invite you to be part of it.

Tonight there's a park cleaning scheduled, so please bring your pooch and invest 15 minutes of your time helping to tidy up while your dog cavorts with its buddies.

Here's a press release from Puptown outlining some of what's been going on there lately. If you're interested in finding out more, follow them on Facebook or on their many new social media sites.

“Puptown,” one of Chicago’s most popular “Dog Friendly Areas” has a new advisory committee.Colleen Opal is President of the new committee, Steve Grzanich is Vice President, Yusef Garcia will oversee fundraising, David Goyer remains as Treasurer and Alexander Ruiz is the group’s webmaster. Ellen Szalinski remains as Member at Large along with newcomers Donna Forsberg and Gretchen Metzler.The Dog Friendly Area Committee is an all-volunteer organization responsible for overseeing Puptown and raising money for its maintenance and upkeep. Puptown receives no financial support from the city and is financed by park patrons and neighborhood sponsors. One of its main fundraisers is the annual dog and owner costume contest and party “Howl-O-Ween” held around Halloween.The new advisory committee’s top goal is to get more neighbors involved in moving Puptown forward. “We want Puptown to be the best dog park in Chicago,” says Grzanich.As part of that effort, the council has stepped up its social media campaign and launching new YouTube, Instagram, and Flickr pages to join its already established Facebookand Twitter sites. The group has also launched a redesign of its website.“We want to thank the previous advisory council members under the leadership of Pete Leiser for handing off a park in great condition and on solid financial footing,” says Grzanich. “Without the dedication of Pete and other neighbors, this wonderful space for our dogs would not exist but we need more people to get involved too.”Puptown, which was established in 2000, sits on 1/3 acre on the north side of Lawrence Avenue just east of Marine Drive in the Chicago Park District’s Margate Park. It is one of 21 Dog Friendly Areas within the Chicago Park District where dogs are allowed to run and play off-leash, the only areas in the city where this is allowed.For a list of all DFA’s click here: www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/facilities/dog-friendly-areas/